Containers, such as purses or bags, are built for holding things in an interior compartment. Containers may typically be closed and opened. The act of opening a container may indicate that a user wishes to view the contents of the container. But the contents of the container may be difficult to view for a number of reasons. For example: containers may be opened in dark areas; the container itself may put the contents in shadow; and contents of the container may put other contents in shadow. For such reasons a system is needed for illuminating the interior of containers.